Eliminating our cultural foundation

Trustees must reverse cuts to music and theatre

Dear Sir:

By closing the R.E.M. Lee Theatre, the trustees are removing 4 cultural cornerstone of the com- munity at large. The theatre is used by many groups in addition to the schools, all of whom it must be pointed out, pay both rent and a bead tax to the school district each time they use the theatre,

It represents a major asset to the cultural life of the community, and indeed of the entire northwest.

For example, as it is the only realistic venue for the Terrace Concert Society to present its concert series, the series proposed for next year will likely be cancelled, Since block bookings with neighbour- ing communities are normally arranged, closing this theatre will have an impact on Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, and the Queen Charlotte Islands,

The theatre also represents a major capital and

cultural asset for the School District, and I for one do not see how the trustees can seriously consider mothballing it. - By cutting the grade 6 and 7 band programs, the trustces have effectively killed the entire music pro- gram for the district, as these programs are the feeders for all later courses, The music program has been built up over the years to something very spe- cial, consistently achieving an outstanding quality, to the point of winning gold and silver at national competitions,

The trustees have obliterated all this with the stroke of a pen. The value of music in an educa- tional system bas been scientifically proven in any number of wel} documented studies, recently popularized as ‘‘the Mozart Effect’.

Several times since the amalgamation of the dis- tricts and the concurrent budget problems, cuts to the music programs have been proposed. Each time, parents ard concerned citizens have turned out in droves to protest, demoustrating the commitment of the community to its music.

Many alternatives, ranging from the institution of parking fees to holding meetings by conference calls, have been presented by literally hundreds of concerned parents and cilizens. Most suggestions have been dismissed out of hand, often seemingly because it was felt they would upset people.

Instead, the trustees have elected to disregard public input and follow their own course. Twice now efficiency teams from the Ministry of Educa- tion have looked into the operations of School Dis- trict 82 and presented recommendations to improve its financial position. In both cases these recom- mendations have been largely ignored.

This is the equivalent of scoraing the lifeboats on asinking ship.

The Special Efficiency Advisory Report prepared by Wayne Desharnais reveals some rather shocking facts regarding the operations of the board over the last three years,

For example, on page 31 it reveals that even after all the Ginancial difficulties suffered over the last three years ‘‘apparently the Board is still not being presented with formal monthly financial reports’ and ‘‘they are not receiving at least quarterly teports comparing actual and forccast expenditures to revenue.” This is inexcusable.

Any group, but particularly one dealing with tax- payer dollars, should know on a continuing basis what its financial position is.

When you have an important goal to achieve, should you not be tracking where you are in rela- tion to that goal? As Mr. Deshamais states on page 25 “Tt appears the district is still attempting to op- erate from crisis to crisis.”

I feel the Jack of direction and perceived un- accountability to the public of the board has led to the present sitnation, I therefore ask that the trustees firstly revisit the reports filed by both of the Minis- try consultants and implement the majority of their recommendations, and secondly seriously review the suggestions received from the public and utilize those that are worthwhile. ,

Further, in view of the tremendous support demonstrated by the public al large, ] ask that the trustees reverse their decisions regarding the REM Lee Theatre and the school music programs. The

benefits outweigh the costs. Ken Juniper Terrace, B.C, Festival unrecognized Dear Sir:

I awaited, with great excilemeant, the arrival of the April 21 Terrace Standard ouly to be disappointed once again.

On April 9th, The North West Music Festival was held here in Terrace with a tremendous job done by many volunteers and attended by many important and respected people from the music community.

Bands from near and far attended and performed as well as receiving a work-shop with comments, lips and help from these people. This was not free

CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD

the — Mail Bag

PARENTS AGAINST MUSIC CUTS: More than a dozen

parents, students and teachers played

their instruments outside the schoo! district office April 28 to protest the elimination of kindergar- ten, Grade 6 and Grade 7 band classes and 9th and 10th black music classes. School board trustees have cut various school programs to balance the district's deficit budget by next year,

but we all were more than happy to travel, spend the weekend and bask in the enjoyment of seeing mouths of hard work appreciated by our peers as well as the Terrace community,

Our own Skeena Band, about 85 Gr. 9 & 10 stu- dents received a gold medal for their efforts. Think of it, 85 students worked together for months to achieve this honor. They gave up their free time alter school etc. in order to do this.

Their performance brought tears to many an eye with their exceptional playing, Did our local paper even bother to show up?

Other than a single picture of one student, noth- ing! This band was even invited to attend the Cana- da Music Festival being held in Toronto, Our local community band performed and was wonderful, Our newest band, consisting of parents, teachers, grandparents and assorted other, most of whom have never played an instrument previously, were there. Were you?

Possibly, if we had strapped snow boards to our feet, our Terrace Standard might have seen fit to give this event a-touch more coverage,

‘We parents and our families have fought long and hard to keep music within our community. This fight is far from over, A little coverage from you might have helped. The powers to be feel that music, drama and choir are something that can be dropped from our school system in order to free up money needed else where in the school system.

Of course, they also feel it is necessary to add two additional members to an already top heavy school board. The two new positions will, of course, have to be paid and we can see where this will come from. At the rate they are going, we will have set our school system back a hundred years.

Donna Kurth oe, Terrace B,C, French school is an insult to taxpayers

Dear Sir:

Once again, the racial nature of Canada’s Jan- guage policy is about to place an unfair burden on the laxpaying majority while rewarding a miniscule French minority.

How else can you describe a situation where a paltry enrolment of 25 students is about to get its own French school?

For the past three decades our federal government has been trying in vain to push a language into parts of the country where it isn’t needed. The dismal result is that there are more unilingual Canadians per capita now than when this experiment in social enginecring began over 30 years ago.

And this failed experiment bas come al tremendous cost to all Canadians, Currently we spend aver $5 billion per year on Official Bilingualism, $2 billion just for labelling laws which cause you to pay an extra 50 cents for every box of breakfast cereal you buy, or require that a French sticker be placed over some part of the English labe}, thus rendering it unreadable,

At the same time, our local school board has been forced to slash programs in order to attain a balanced budget. And balanced it Is, on the backs of hundreds of students, not a mere 25, whose only

chance at some education in music comes from being a member of the school band.

And how about the 15 teachers who are soon to join the ranks of the unemployed? Is a French school for 25 kids more important than them?

And by the way, I almost forgot to mention, the interest payments on Canada’s $700 billion national debt are costing taxpayers $115 million every day.

But don’t despair, Terrace will have its very own all-French school, for 25 students.

Aad all you single moms on welfare, for whom it is a daily struggle to feed and cloth your kids, well you just aren’t as important,

Rob Hargrove Terrace B.C,

Money wins over parks

Dear Sir:

The Standard’s Wednesday May 5 article stating thal Mayor Talstra was able to pay $22,000 instead of developing a small park in bis new subdivision across from the College near Franks ficld raises some concerns.

I can’t believe that the people of Terrace would

agree with council and Talstra that it is better to have the moncy instead of the green space or park.

Residents of our area continue to watch other de- velopments on the bench follow the same path where they put in house lots for 150 houses and pay money to city council instead of developing a park.

All you have to do is take a Sunday drive to the far end of Mountain Vista Drive or Jook at a map.

There is no plan for any green space in those areas. At the moment most of the young people from Cory Street and surrounding neighbourhoods have to travel half a kilometer to visit the only park near Floyd St.

The health of our city and its people is directly re- lated to a quality of life we enjoy. What kind of a life is it if young parents with children and others who enjoy parks and green spaces have to go else- where to enjoy themselves?

The health of wildlife is also a concern consider- ing that in planning and development of this sub- division he and bis company have destroyed acres of habitat for plants and animals.

For the longest time I have enjoyed watching the fox that lives close by and the geese which migrate through the area, Those animals are long gone now.

If you feel that this is wrong and you would like to register a complainl, phone your local council member anid say no more fo money-grubbing devel- opers like Mayor Talstra, ,

, Greg McDonald Terrace B.C.

Log export saved jobs and bought us time

Dear Sir:

Hats off to Job Protection Commissioner Eric Yan Soeren, West Fraser and the WA.

West Fraser Mills, West Fraser’s contractors, the JWA and the government finally signed off on the economic plan that would see logging contractors go back to work and market logs for export.

A novel, yel controversial plan aimed at malntain-

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 19, 1999 - AS

ing employment levels in the area, as opposed ta job losses. Despite the criticisms regarding export- ing B.C.’s raw materials it was the best solution in a desperate situation. -

While the plan does not ensure increased employ- ment at-West Frascr’s mills, it does put hundreds of woodland workers, ihat- would have otherwise

. remained idle, back to work. | ;

Obviously, processing the logs at home would make belter sense; however, poor markets, ex- cessive governnient regulation, the U.S, Softwood Lumber Agreement and high fibre costs have vir- tually suak the local forest industry as we once knew it - :

Until these parameters change, tht industry will have to look at solutions such as export to keep the industry alive.

Today, it would appéar that B.C. can not compete globally in commodily markets such as dimension jumber because of the above reasons,

It is vital that the industry ook to value added products and the government look very seriously at tenure reform.

Critics will argue that radical ideas such as privatization of forest lands are unacceptable. Yet if the industry is to evolve and be competitive, the in- stitution of a free market approach for our resources will be necessary.

One has to only look at the B.C. wine. industry. Under protection and regulation, wineries and grape growers operated within a false economy that dis- couraged innovation and technology.

Today, in an open market B.C. is producing some of the finest wines, developing niche markels (ice wine) thal are value added and growing grape vari- eties best suited to our cooler climate.

In a free market, the B.C. forest industry has the same capability to produce first class value added products and develop niche markets. Exporting logs is the first step in the process,

Let’s hope government and industry can foster ways to make the forest industry in B.C. more com- pelitive and profitable through innovative ideas.

Justin Rigshy Terrace B.C.

Our national shame

Dear Sir;

Tolerance, fair play, peaceful co-existence, and social justice were the rcasons that Canada became my choice of a home and country.

I must admit that lately 1 am having some prob- lems reconciling all the virtues that made Canada respected all over the world with the contradictions and performance of the federal government,

We can only afford 30-year old search and rescue aircrafts that literally are falling out of the sky kill- ing the crews, But that same goverment has no ‘problem sending dozens of airplanes worth billions armed with bombs and rockets, some worth one million dollars each to bomb people in Europe.

We are told that we must stop this dictator that this war is necessary for peace. Now there is an oxymoron,

Every war at least since the crusaders was fought

because we were told that the enemy was satanic and God was on our side. § find it interesting that actions were not taken in other parts of the world where activilies by dictators were as bad or worse. - Could this be because of the colour of those peoples skin or as this wriler believes; since the col- lapse of the Soviet Union, NATO, who has no rea- Son to exist sces this war as a make work program, justifying ils existence while testing its ‘smart’? bombs.

While this is going on, the premier of China, a country with a dismal record of human rights inter-

nally.and genocide cxtemally, gets the red carpet treatment in Canada, is the difference between China and Yugoslavia only the fact that we do busi- ness with China?

Canada has for decades sent peacekeepers all over the world to ensure peoples’ freedom while at home we Ory not to embarass another dictator. Last year students were pepper sprayed and arresied while doing nothing more than free speech and assembly —- the very issues that the blue berets were enfore- ing around the world.

It is hard not to think that the $100 million carmarked for bringing 5,000 refugees to Canada and for mililary hardware docs not come from the billions confiscated from employers and unemploy- ed workers,

Such acts might impress someone who does not know that we have similar numbers of Canadians living on the strects, not to mention thousands living on reserves rampant with tuberculosis and other diseases linked to poverty.

It saddens me that Canada has traded in the peace keepers’ blue beret probably forever for a badge making our soldiers deputics to Uncle Sam, the self-appointed Sheriff of the World.

John Jensen Terrace, B.C,

About the Mail Bag

Letters to the editor can be malled to the Terrace Standard at 3210 Clinton St Ter- race, B.C., V8G 5A2. You can also fax let- ters to us at 250-638-8432, Or you can emall your letter to us at standard@kermode.net Name, address and phone number Is re- quired for verification.

Treaty offers little but the final road to assimilation.

Dear Sir:

The treaty process is another racist and genocidal act orchestrated by the Chretien government.

My opinion is in no way to be con- stiued as to be against, to be putting down, or to prejudice the Nisga’a people. It is my view that the Chretien govera- ment is enacting a policy that was shelved thirly years ago by the Trudeau government.

During 1969 Jean Chretien was ap-

pointed Minister of Indian Affairs, After taking over that portfolio be forged into it with a campaign attempting to imple- ment the infamous White Paper policy. ' That policy was intended to dissolve the Department of Indian Affairs and to mvipe out the Indian Reserve system. To rid Canada of the Indian Problem once and for ail. oo

The Nalional Indian Brotherhood (now known as the Assembly of First Nations) fought against it adamantly, The White Paper was shelved. The Nisga’a Deal will inevitably end with the same objec- tives and results.

Many political games and taclics have been used to push this deal through, from manipulation of funding, political promises, bribery, to muzzling those that oppose the deal, :

Waiching these games has been much like watching the Mulroney government and the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agrec- tent being rammed through,

Very little time has been given to the Nisga’a for open debate and discussion. Very little dialogue has been open to dis- cuss what exactly it is going to be Like for each' and every individual. Nisga’a

person should this deal get passed.

What will buying and paying $50,000 or more for a house mean to them? Paying for your own medical and educa- tion? What will paying taxes on all these things plus income tax mean to them?

Economic development has been a key to selling this deal to the people. Where is the economics in this deal? Funding for social programs and economic devel- opment will be harder and to get.

Furthermore, if the Nisga’a are to build an economy to become self-sustaining they need resources and resources come from the land. So why do we give up 92 percent of our land? It does not make any economic sense.

There is another side of the coin in giving up 92 per cent of the land. That is a cultural issue. A big part of the Nisga’a culture comes from the Jand through their tribal system,

There are four tribes in the Nisga’a culture: Eagle, Wolf, Killer Whale, and Frog. In those tribes are various houses with chiefs. Each of these -houses and chiefs use different parts of the land for food gathering and other traditional uses, Giving up the land will ultimately break down and destroy that system, Again, why?

This deal will leave the Nisga’a with a very weak political foundation. Giving up their tax exemption and becoming full Canadian citizens will leave the Nisga’a in a very shaky political position.

It will give the Nisga’a governments merely a municipal goverment status. When it comes to whatever rights left to them from under the Indian Act (such as

- fishing and hunting rights etc.) the rest of

Canada will ask why you and not us?

‘Socially, this could prove to be a very

dangerous move. It is well known that about 85 per cent of the population of the Nass River are unemployed, Social prob- lems are serious and these problems have been brought In since the first contact with Europeans.

This deal does not offer much (if any) safety net to handle such problems given the economic and political difficulties that the Nisga’a will undoubtedly face through the transitional period.

T look at this deal as nothing more than submission to assimilation; Not a treaty.

A treaty is an honourable, equitable, and.just thing. This is not, I look at it with much skepticism and questioning.

Perhaps it's nothing more than the last nail in the coffin of the aboriginal com- munity in Canada,

Aaron J; GreyCloud : _ Terrace, B.C,